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FREE WILLWe can all make choices, about when to get up in the morning or if weare to go and ride our bike and to an extent we seem to be totally free todo what we want.However, can we always choose to do something? Or is there anythingwe don't have freedom to do?Some philosophers believed that our ability to make free choices is anillusion ­ they believe we are not free at all.Determinism says that that there are laws that exist outside of ourcontrol that cause the things that happen.There are many factors that might assist in determining our actions:- Societ Psychology Genetics yFamily Natural Religion laws…read more

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DETERMINISMDeterminism challenges the common believe that we are morally responsiblefor our actions and thus carry them out freely and deliberately. Freedom ofchoice is an illusion. People cannot be blamed or punished realistically. Everychoice we make has been predetermined by the situation before it, and so on.Hard determinism = is the believe that people do not have any free will and thattheir ethical actions have prior causes.Libertarianism = is the belief that determinism is wrong and we are free to makeethical decisions and so are responsible for them.Soft determinism = is the belief that free will is compatible with determinism, assome aspects of our nature are determined but our ability to make ethicaldecisions is not determined.Religious determinism = is the belief that God determines who will be saved andwho will not so out actions are irrelevant. (predestination) Are there laws outside of our control that cause things to happen? Scientific laws, previous events?…read more

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HARD DETERMINISMThey have the strict position that all our actions have prior causes.We are neither free nor responsible.John Hospers was a modern determinist who says that there is always somethingwhich compels us both externally and internally which makes us believe we havefree will.Clarence Darrow took a similar position when in 1924 he defended two youngmen Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb on a charge of murdering a young boyBobby Franks. Their perfect crime went wrong and Darrow defended for theirdeath penalty to be commuted because they were genetically andenvironmentally determined as well as influenced from reading Nietzsche. He wassuccessful in his case.Hard Determinism relies heavily on Sir Isaac Newton's physics, according to whichthe universe is governed by immutable laws of nature such as motion andgravitation. The world is seen as a mechanism dominated by the law of predictable cause and effect…read more

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HARD DETERMINISM CONTINUEDTed Honderich also came to the conclusion that since everything is physicallydetermined, there is not even any `self' within us that is the origin of our actions.There is no room for moral blame and no point in punishment just for the sake ofpunishment.All things that happen in the world had to happen, very pessimistic view of life.Hard Determinists say moral choice is just an illusion ­ we simply think we havefree will but this is not the case. John Locke used an analogy of a man locked in aroom whilst he was asleep. On awakening he decided he will stay in the room,unaware that the room is locked. In reality, he cannot get out of the room, but hebelieves he has freely chosen to remain in the room.David Hume, who was actually a soft determinist himself, contributed tophilosophical determinism by commenting that we can observe patterns in thephysical world that can also be found in the decisions we make. Thus our decisionsare causally determined.…read more

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PREDESTINATIONIf God is omniscient and omnipotent then we cannot have free will and ouractions must be pre-determined by him. How can humans be free andautonomous if God is omniscient? He must know our decisions so we are simplyfulfilling a pre-determined plan.The doctrine of predestination was formed by such theologians as Augustine ofHippo and John Calvin, and is based on the idea that God determines whateverhappens in history.St Paul = believed God chooses who will be saved.St Augustine = Human will is so corrupt that no one is capable of performing agood action without God. Only those elected by God can achieve salvation.John Calvin = There is nothing anyone can do to change their destiny. Accordingto Calvin, there is no free will.Logically then, if we have no control over our actions, we have no responsibilityfor them.…read more